Future undisputed champion? Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz Credit: Heathcliff O'Malley for The Telegraph
After ending a 20-year Big Four chokehold at Wimbledon, Carlos Alcaraz insisted he did it not for a new generation, but only for himself . .
Perhaps this is the most correct reaction he could give, since, judging by the available data, none of his contemporaries will be able to challenge him in the way that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. each other. This will not be the era of another Big Three or Four, it will be the era of the Big One.
«Don't belong to an era, start your own,» read a new Nike ad for their latest tennis star Alcaraz, released Sunday night. His outstanding triumph at Wimbledon confirmed that the era of Alcaraz had arrived and would likely be defined by his exceptional brilliance and not by the rivalry we are used to in the top division of men's tennis.
Djokovic is not like that. done yet. His two Grand Slam titles earlier in the year made this clear. When asked if he hoped the sensational five-set battle between him and Alcaraz would be the start of a rivalry, he laughed and said, «I hope so!»
Such is Djokovic's superb physicality, we rarely mention his age, as we're talking about the retired Federer, the injured Nadal and the metal Murray. However, the Serb is 16 years older than the new Wimbledon champion and one might wonder if he only has two or three years left at this level.
Three decisive points that Carlos Alcaraz dared not lose
It's hard to predict whether this painful loss from the «most complete» player he's ever faced will spur Djokovic on or speed up his path to retirement. It can't last forever anyway, and Alcaraz is the only person currently on tour who deserves to be named alongside the greats.
“Today, really at the end of the match, I had the feeling that I was ready for such situations to play epic matches with big legends and in big scenarios,” Alcaraz told Spanish reporters on Sunday. «I know I feel it for myself.»
The same cannot be said for the people around him.
Ahead of the tournament, Wimbledon organizers attempted to fabricate the appearance of a new rivalry between Yannick Sinner and Alcaraz in an illustration that went viral for all the wrong reasons. Sinner, who is 18 months older than Alcaraz, shared one of last year's most dramatic battles with the Spaniard at the US Open and there's every chance they'll play epic matches again. But Sinner's comparatively modest performance against Djokovic in the semi-finals stood in stark contrast to Alcaraz's energy and mentality as he took on the all-time great. The Italian is not ready and may never catch up with Alcaraz.
Then there was how Alcaraz crushed Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals, which bordered on shame. Medvedev, 27, is only the second male player born in the 1990s to win a major title, with hordes of other contenders swept aside by the previous golden generation. He is also the man who ended Djokovic's last hope for a rare New York calendar event in 2021, and last year became the first world No. 1 outside of the Big Four in 18 years. But he led in straight sets against Rafael Nadal in the 2022 Australian Open final and may not have been the same player in major tournaments since then. With the advent of the boy Alcaraz in the 2000s, the question arises whether Medvedev's time to shine has passed.
Kasper Ruud is another serial finalist who has won three of the last six Grand Slams. But he only won one set in those three tries, against Alcaraz in the Spaniard's first U.S. title run last year. Here at Wimbledon, the 24-year-old Ruud appeared to be hardly upset about his exit from the second round, shrugging his shoulders that the grass was none of his business. This suggests that he doesn't have any of the competitive drive that Alcaraz so obviously feeds off of, let alone the whole game.
Then there's Holger's rune from Denmark, perhaps player experts consider it the closest to Alcaraz. talent. The couple grew up together on the junior circuit as they were born only a week apart. Rune has given up on the idea that Alcaraz, world number one, is already head and shoulders above him and has the unabashed confidence and flair to draw fans into the sport. But Alcaraz destroyed him in the quarter-finals last week in straight sets and looked to the years ahead in terms of physical and mental development. He may want to compete, but he is not yet fully prepared for it.
Alcaraz stands apart in this group of 20-year-olds. During his speech at the Dinner of Champions late Sunday night, he said he was looking forward to returning to his hometown in Murcia «to feel like a normal boy again.» Now that he has the whole sport in the palm of his hand, this is simply impossible.
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